Learn how to store and find easy-to-misplace things like keys, cell phones and more

Lost and Found

Lost and Found

You’re trying to get out the door in the morning. You do one last check for everything you need when you realize your keys are missing. Several coat-pocket pat-downs later, you’re running late—and are incredibly frustrated. “Most of the time we lose things because we don’t put them back where we found them,” says professional organizer Stacey Platt, owner of DwellWell in New York City and author of What’s a Disorganized Person to Do? “Everything needs a home. You can always find a fork because you always put them back in the same spot.” Here are 10 commonly misplaced items and where to store each one.

1. Keys

1. Keys

Keep house and car keys together on a single ring. When you come home, hold your keys (don’t tuck them in a pocket or set them down) until you place them on a hook by the door or in a bowl in the fridge. “It sounds crazy, but you’ll remember to grab them in the morning when you get orange juice or cream for your coffee,” says Geralin Thomas, a certified professional organizer specializing in chronic disorganization and owner of Metropolitan Organizing LLC in Cary, NC. Until you’re in the habit of putting keys in their designated spot each day, find them before bed so you don’t have to hunt them down the next morning, suggests Thomas.